Northland farmers call for dog control after 18 sheep mauled in deadly attack

Some of the sheep that were mauled to death by a pair of roaming dogs on John and Lily Coleman’s Kaikohe property.

A pair of senior Northland farmers have issued a heartfelt plea to dog owners after 18 sheep and lambs were mauled to death or maimed so badly they had to be euthanised.

The attack follows a series of similar dog attacks on John and Lily Coleman’s property on the outskirts of Kaikohe in 2022, in which about two dozen sheep and lambs, along with a calf and several chickens, were mauled and killed.

This time much of the Colemans’ flock of ewes and their lambs, many of them twins, lay dead and dying in the paddock last Saturday morning after a deadly rampage the previous night.

“The [two] dogs were still chasing them around in the early morning when we went to feed our calves,” Lily said.

“They were dead in the paddock and there were lambs all over the place, mauled.

“The dogs had ripped their throats out and their ears off.”

Far North District Council confirmed 16 sheep and lambs were mauled to death, two sheep were injured and had to be shot, and one dog, a large male mixed breed, was shot dead on site by a neighbour.

The owner of the shot dog was unknown, district council compliance manager Rochelle Deane said.

A second dog, a female mixed breed, was impounded after being found later by an animal management officer.

Neither of the dogs was registered and an investigation was under way to determine enforcement action on the living dog’s owner, Deane said.

Lily said their neighbours had been supportive and helped collect the sheep and lamb carcasses, which were then buried.

“It’s terrible because we had pet sheep that would run up to you.

“They were beautiful lambs; it’s such a waste.

“Other people have got sheep around us, they get very concerned because they might be the target tonight.”

Rural Kaikohe farmer Lily Coleman, pictured with her neighbour Wayne Johnston, is devastated after roaming dogs killed nearly 20 sheep and lambs in another attack. Photo / Jenny Ling

The Northern Advocate reported roaming dogs killed and mutilated dozens of livestock – mainly sheep and lambs – at various farms in and around Te Iringa in rural Kaikohe in 2022.

Back then the Colemans lost more than two dozen sheep, lambs, calves and chickens during several attacks on their property.

After one of the attacks, two large brown dogs were surrendered to council animal control officers and were euthanised.

Lily said there was a real problem with unregistered, wandering dogs in the area.

In yet another incident, about six weeks ago an off-leash dog being taken for a walk chased one of the Colemans’ chickens inside the house and killed it.

“The chook raced into the house to try and get away and the dog followed it,” Lily said.

“There were feathers everywhere.

“It’s just another incident of uncontrolled dogs.

“If it was muzzled it wouldn’t be able to bite, even if it chased an animal or bird.”

Lily urged owners to register their dogs and put a muzzle on them when walking off lead near vulnerable livestock.

“Please look after your dog and don’t have too many.

“We’re not anti-dog, but people don’t think their dog would ever do anything like that.”

One of the calves at the Colemans’ property that was attacked in 2022. Photo / Jenny Ling

Deane said the animal management team was following up on unregistered and unknown dogs across the district following the latest registration renewal period.

The team would continue to respond promptly when notified of dog-related concerns, patrol areas where roaming dogs had been regularly reported, and educate owners on their responsibilities, she said.

“The responsibility for dogs rests squarely on the shoulders of owners.

“Responsible dog ownership ... includes registering and microchipping your dog, as well as keeping your dog under your control.”

Far North District Mayor Moko Tepania took to social media in September to appeal to dog owners to take responsibility for their animals.

He urged owners to register their dogs and for residents to keep reporting roaming dogs or incidents to the council.

“We get around 8500 dogs registered each year, but have over 10,000 on record, so the true number of dogs in the Far North is likely much higher ...” he said.

Jenny Ling is a senior journalist at the Northern Advocate. She has a special interest in covering human interest stories, along with roading, lifestyle, business and animal welfare issues.